Why has recruiting news blown up?

It's still a niche market, and the niche really isn't much bigger than it was then. Just louder and more visible, thanks to the Internet.

 

In some ways, I think there are actually many more potential storylines in recruiting than before the NFL draft.

Consider what the pre-NFL Draft frenzy might look like if every player coming out of college was essentially a free agent, eligible to sign with whichever team interested him most. Teams would have to wine and dine the prospects. Good teams would try convince them to "play with a winner." Crappy teams would stress that they might start sooner for them, or give them a spiel on how they can be forever beloved by local fans by being "part of the rebirth."

Rather than the ho-hum stories of "so-and-so was in for a workout," think about how fans of QB-poor NFL teams would have been holding their breath last year for any and all news on how Vince Young, Leinart, Cutler, etc. might be leaning. Does your team have a chance to land Reggie Bush? What is Bush thinking? We need a running back!

It's not a perfect analogy, of course, but that's sort of what college recruiting is: A total Wild West free-for-all. The prospects have the upper hand in college, whereas in the NFL the team makes the call. Thus in college, fans who want to know who will be playing for their team (an understandable desire) are like desperate suitors waiting for the phone to ring. I think that dynamic, in part, helps drive the demand for recruiting news.